CANCELLATIONS AND DELAYS CAUSED BY THE POLAR VORTEX, SOME PASSENGERS ARE FINALLY REACHING THEIR DESTINATIONS AFTER DAYS OF TRAVEL TROUBLE BUT ALL TOO MANY OF THEM ARE NOT ABLE TO DO THIS, GRAB THEIR BAGS. THEY'RE FINDING THEIR LUGGAGE DID NOT MAKE THE TRIP. TODAY ONLY AROUND 800 FLIGHTS IN THE U.S. HAVE BEEN CANCELLED, DOWN FROM THE THOUSANDS OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS. ANOTHER 3800 ARE DELAYED. IN JACKSONVILLE, FOUR DEPARTING FLIGHTS WERE CANCELLED. AT LEAST SEVEN OTHERS HAVE BEEN DELAYED. NOW, IN JACKSONVILLE, TWO COURIER COMPANIES HAVE CONTRACTS TO DELIVER DELAYED LUGGAGE TO TRAVELERS' DOORSTEPS OR HOTELS. AS TARIK MINOR SHOWS US, THE OWNER OF ONE OF THOSE COMPANIES SAYS IT MAY BE MONTHS BEFORE A SENSE OF NORMALCY RETURNS TO AIRPORTS AROUND THE COUNTRY. CHANCES ARE, IF YOUR FLIGHT HAS BEEN DELAYED OR CANCELLED, YOU'LL LIKELY BE SEPARATED FROM YOUR LUGGAGE LIKE THE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WAITING TO BE REUNITED WITH THEIR BAGS. THEY WERE ALL SEPARATED FROM THEIR OWNERS. AT THE HEIGHT OF A WINTER STORM. DELAYED LUGGAGE FROM RHODE ISLAND TO FLORIDA. LINES THE WALLS AT JIA. I KEEP MINE NEXT TO ME SO I DON'T LOSE IT. IT'S THE REASON WHY THIS FREQUENT FLYER SAYS SHE DOESN'T TRUST THE AIRLINES WITH HER BELONGINGS. I DON'T CHECK MINE HARDLY ANYMORE. PEOPLE ARE NOW REALIZING THE COMPLEXITY CREATED BY A POLAR VORTEX. IN FACT, I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE, BECAUSE THIS IS MY LUGGAGE, ARRIVING AT MY HOUSE SOME 48 HOURS LATER, AFTER OUR BAGS WERE MISPLACED IN WASHINGTON, D.C. SOME MIGHT BE SURPRISED AT JUST HOW BIG THIS PROBLEM IS. IT WILL BE A COUPLE OF MONTHS FOR WHAT I WOULD SAY GETS BACK TO NORMALCY AROUND HERE. HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT. HIS COURIER COMPANY IS ONE OF TWO CONTRACTED BY JIA TO DELIVER LOST BAGGAGE. HE ADVISES NEVER TO PACK ANYTHING YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT FOR 48 HOURS, ADDING THERE'S A CHANCE YOU MAY NEVER SEE IT AGAIN. THERE ARE SITUATIONS WHERE THEY NEVER FIND THEIR LUGGAGE, BUT I WOULD SAY THAT 98% OF THE TIME AIRLINES LOCATE IT. THE COMPLEXITY IS MORE THAN JUST THE AIRCRAFT ITSELF. IF THE WEATHER WERE JUST IDEAL THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, YOU STILL HAVE MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. YOU STILL HAVE FLIGHT CREW PROBLEMS. YOU STILL HAVE OTHER ISSUES. AIRPORT OFFICIALS SAY MAJOR AIRLINES ARE COMPENSATING PASSENGERS FOR THEIR INCONVENIENCE WITH TOILETRIES OR T-SHIRTS BUT PASSENGERS HAVE TO ASK. MANY OF THESE PASSENGERS OPTED TO TRAVEL WITHOUT THEIR LUGGAGE. THIS IS GOING TO TAKE SEVERAL DAYS TO CLEAR UP BECAUSE THOSE FLIGHTS THAT WERE CANCELLED, THOSE PEOPLE HAVE TO BE PUT ON FLIGHTS THAT WERE ALREADY ALMOST FULL. SO IT TAKES SOME TIME. A PERIOD OF TIME THAT COULD CONTINUE TO GROW IF THE WINTER

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -

The brutally cold temperatures this week have crippled airports across the country, and even though some passengers are finally reaching their final destination, they're learning their luggage did not.

Two courier companies are contracted with Jacksonville International Airport to deliver delayed baggage to fliers' doorsteps or hotels. But the owner of one company say it may be months before a sense of normalcy is returned to airports across the country.

Delayed luggage from Rhode Island to Florida lined the walls at Jacksonville International Airport on Wednesday, separated from its owners during the height of the most recent winter storm.

"I just keep mine next to me so I don't lose it," said traveler Leanne Bryan, whose flight was canceled. "I don't even check mine anymore."

Others who chose to travel with their luggage on the plane are now realizing the complexity created by a polar vortex.

"It will be a couple of months before what I would say it gets back to normalcy around here," said David Hill, of Airko Freight Systems.

Hill's courier company is only one of two contracted by JIA to deliver lost baggage. He advises never to pack anything that you can't live without for 48 hours, adding that there's a chance that you may never see it again.

"There are rare situations where they don't find their luggage, but 98 percent of the time, they do find their luggage," Hill said. "It may take a couple of days to get here."

"The complexity of the system is more than just the aircraft itself," said Michael Stewart, of JIA. "If the weather was just ideal, you still have mechanical problems, flight crew, other issues."

Airport officials say major airlines are compensating passengers for their inconvenience, providing them with toiletries or T-shirts. But passengers have to ask.

Most bags displaced during the storm were lost in layovers or when a passengers' flights was canceled. Rather than pay baggage fees again for rebooking on another airline, many of the passengers opted to travel without their luggage.

"This is going to take several days because people are getting put on flights that were already full," Stewart said. "So all of this is going to take some time."

A period of time that could continue to grow if winter weather hits again.

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